Dengue Fever: Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention

What are the symptoms of dengue fever?

Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms include as severe joint and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, exhaustion, and rash. The presence of fever, rash, and headache (the "dengue triad") is characteristic of dengue fever.

Typically, people infected with dengue virus are asymptomatic (80%) or have only mild symptoms such as an uncomplicated fever. Others have more severe illness (5%), and in a small proportion it is life-threatening. The incubation period (time between exposure and onset of symptoms) ranges from 3 to 14 days, but most often it is 4 to 7 days. Therefore, travelers returning from endemic areas are unlikely to have dengue if fever or other symptoms start more than 14 days after arriving home. Children often experience symptoms similar to those of the common cold and gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea) and have a greater risk of severe complications, though initial symptoms are generally mild but include high fever.

Viral Replication of Dengue-

Once inside the skin, dengue virus binds to Langerhans cells (a population of dendritic cells in the skin that identifies pathogens). The virus enters the cells through binding between viral proteins and membrane proteins on the Langerhans cell, specifically the C-type lectins called DC-SIGN, mannose receptor and CLEC5A. DC-SIGN, a non-specific receptor for foreign material on dendritic cells, seems to be the main point of entry.

The dendritic cell moves to the nearest lymph node. Meanwhile, the virus genome is translated in membrane-bound vesicles on the cell's endoplasmic reticulum, where the cell's protein synthesis apparatus produces new viral proteins that replicate the viral RNA and begin to form viral particles. Immature virus particles are transported to the Golgi apparatus, the part of the cell where some of the proteins receive necessary sugar chains (glycoproteins). The now mature new viruses are released by exocytosis. They are then able to enter other white blood cells, such as monocytes and macrophages.

Dengue Severe Disease-

It is not entirely clear why secondary infection with a different strain of dengue virus places people at risk of dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). The exact mechanism behind ADE is unclear. It may be caused by poor binding of non-neutralizing antibodies and delivery into the wrong compartment of white blood cells that have ingested the virus for destruction. There is a suspicion that ADE is not the only mechanism underlying severe dengue-related complications, and various lines of research have implied a role for T cells and soluble factors such as cytokines and the complement system.

Dengue Warning & signs-

1) Worsening abdominal pain

2) Ongoing vomiting

3) Liver enlargement

4) Mucosal bleeding

5) High hematocrit with low platelets

6) Lethargy or restlessness

7) Serosal effusions

Dengue Prevention and Control

1) Advocacy, social mobilization and legislation to ensure that public health bodies and communities     are strengthened;

2) Collaboration between the health and other sectors (public and private);

3) An integrated approach to disease control to maximize use of resources;

4) Evidence-based decision making to ensure any interventions are targeted appropriately; and

5) Capacity-building to ensure an adequate response to the local situation.

Treatment

Apart from attempts to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito there are ongoing efforts to develop antiviral drugs that would be used to treat attacks of dengue fever and prevent severe complications. Discovery of the structure of the viral proteins may aid the development of effective drugs. There are several plausible targets. The first approach is inhibition of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (coded by NS5), which copies the viral genetic material, with nucleoside analogs. Secondly, it may be possible to develop specific inhibitors of the viral protease (coded by NS3), which splices viral proteins. Finally, it may be possible to develop entry inhibitors, which stop the virus entering cells.

Source: wikipedia

Reduce Your High Blood Pressure with Natural Foods

How to reduce blood pressure naturally?

Do you know you can naturally lower your high blood pressure with variety of unique foods and herbs? It’s important that you should consult your doctor prior to changing your diet and also continue your medication when required. But here are some healthy options which might help you in lowering your high blood pressure slowly – 

Keep Your Salt Intake in Control

Salt is used in almost every food type. We can’t intake most of our food without salt and so we tend to over-absorb on salt at it is already added in most of the foods that are processed. Moderate amount of salt is considered to be fine. But if you intake salt beyond a certain limit, the sodium present in it affects your health negatively, leading to high blood pressure. 

As per some experts high amount of sodium disrupts the fluid balance in the body. To remove the excess salt in the body your surrounding tissues draw water creating high amount of liquid which makes your working of heart harder to pump the blood. According to an extensive research the more you intake salt the more you require it. So, it would be logical to cut back on your salt limit slowly as your body won’t crave for it much in time, maintaining good health.

Hawthorn or Hibiscus with a dash of Cinnamon would be the Best

Hawthorn and Hibiscus are natural remedies to help lower high blood pressure. Hawthorn maintains your overall cardiovascular system.  It helps reduce your high blood pressure as well as the formation of blood clots which further enhances blood circulation. Hibiscus essentially acts as a diuretic and helps evacuate sodium from the bloodstream and decreases pressure on the heart’s arterial walls. After this process, the blood vessels relax and creating a positive cascade of events where the overall blood volume becomes lowered and the blood pressure begins to reduce. Rotate between Hawthorn and Hibiscus tea and add a splash of cinnamon to each. It’s been said by some health experts that if cinnamon is consumed daily (if the liver can handle it), it helps lower blood pressure in people suffering from diabetes.

Consume a cup of Blueberries Daily

The powerful type of berry, Blueberries contain antioxidants that help to lower high blood pressure. As time passes, blueberries help decrease systolic as well as diastolic pressure. Nitric oxide levels get increased when blueberry is consumed regularly.  Blood vessels widen and relax resulting into overall lowering of high blood pressure.

Include the Super Food Kale in Your Diet

One of the great super foods to consume, Kale has additional health benefits that help the body reduce high blood pressure in the long run. It comprises of potassium, calcium and magnesium along with a few crucial vitamins.  Additionally, it also contains minerals required by the body daily for ideal health. The alpha-linolenic acid in Kale helps to cool inflammation within the body. You eat it raw or cook it, or if your stomach is sensitive to foods, baby kale leaves would be the best.

Don’t Miss to Intake the Good Bacteria in Yogurt 

Yogurt is a great source of calcium and protein that provide you with the essential fluid for proper hydration.  Yogurt without fats might be optimum to help decrease high blood pressure as it contains less fat that sticks less to the inner walls of the blood vessels. Also, the bacteria in the yogurt might help to kill out the unhealthy bacteria in the gut that contribute to high blood pressure.

Ultimately, there are several healthy foods and herbs that help to lower your high blood pressure naturally. Remember to include super foods into your regular diet always to keep up your immune system and help lower high blood pressure while you are searching for foods that suit you. Don’t miss to take the guidance of your medical professional prior to changing your diet.

5 Steps: What to look for when buying health insurance?

Why do you have health insurance?

Luckily for those in Washington, the website used to enroll in government-subsidized insurance plans and Medicaid is working, at least most of the time. And the government exchange site isn’t the only option for buying insurance — there’s also an individual market outside of the exchange.

But even if the websites work, the truth is that buying health insurance can be overwhelming and confusing. So we’ve distilled the process down to five steps to help get you through it.

1. Figure out if you are eligible for a tax subsidy.

Depending on your income and household size, you could be eligible for a tax subsidy under the Affordable Care Act. To figure this out, go to Washington Healthplanfinder, the state’s insurance exchange, or use a calculator on a site like the Kaiser Family Foundation. The subsidies are available to those earning up to four times the federal poverty line. For an individual, that’s roughly $45,000 a year.

And be careful about what you’re using as your income. The subsidies are based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which includes wages, tips, taxable income, ordinary dividends, unemployment benefits, alimony, etc. minus a variety of deductions such as student loan interest, health savings account deductions, some self-employed expenses and other items. (Check out this great fact sheet from University of California Berkeley for more information on MAGI.)

If you are eligible for a subsidy, you should buy your insurance from the exchange because your premiums will be lower. Also, catastrophic plans are available only through the exchange, though they’re limited to people under age 30 and those with certain financial exemptions. And plans on the exchange are likely to be cheaper because they often include coverage for fewer doctors and hospitals.

If you’re not getting a subsidy and want more doctors included in your plan, you might as well buy it outside of the exchange where there are more options.

2. Find a good insurance broker.

There are two main categories of people who can help you sign up for health insurance: brokers and in-person assisters/navigators. Both offer their services for free. Brokers are paid by insurance companies when they sign people up for one of their plans. Navigators are often associated with community groups, health organizations or other nonprofits who pay their way, or are volunteers.

Of the two, only brokers can legally advise you on which plan works best for your budget and health-care needs. They can help you find a plan inside the health-insurance exchange, or on the general market. An in-person assister or navigator is trained to aid people trying to maneuver the health-insurance exchange, Washington Healthplanfinder. They can’t tell you which plan to get.

By entering your zip code, you can search for brokers and navigators near you.

If you’re going the broker route, you can double check the state database to make sure they’re legit and see which insurance companies they represent. It’s also not a bad idea to check a site like Yelp to find out what other shoppers have to say about a company or person.

3. Compare plans.

Maybe you’re going with a broker and don’t want to think about this further on your own (who would blame you?!). But if you’d like to poke around a little and compare plans, you have some options.

If you’re shopping inside of the exchange, the state’s Healthplanfinder site will allow you to first call up all the plans available to you, then mark the ones you like best, and the site will display them in side-by-side comparisons showing deductibles and other benefits. The Affordable Care Act requires that all plans include 10 essential benefits and limit deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. But the 10 essentials can be met different ways and there is still a lot of fine print to consider.

If you’re shopping outside of the exchange, you have a couple of options for comparing plans.

Washington Health Insurance Exchange is a site owned by a broker and allows comparisons inside and outside of the exchange The Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s webpage, a government site, allows comparisons inside and out the exchange eHealth, is a national company that provides comparisons, though their site only displays “featured” insurance companies, unless you look for the fine print and ask it to display all of the plans available And a reader recently shared with us his Health Insurance Plan Comparison Calculator to help add up all the potential costs for a plan — though we at Health Care Checkup blog haven’t had a chance to play around with it much

4. Compare which doctors and hospitals are covered.

Now that you’ve got an idea of what plans cost and offer in benefits, you might have a favorite doctor or clinic. So next you’ll want to make sure the plan you like will cover the bills from your doctor.

My colleagues at The Seattle Times came up with this terrific article and chart showing which insurance companies include which providers in the plans sold through the exchange. The Times also has these directions using Healthplanfinder to figure out if a doctor or hospital is part of a certain plan.

It’s also not a bad idea to call your doc to verify who includes their services.

5. Pat yourself on the back.

Congratulations! If all goes well — and we hope it did — you now have now found and purchased health insurance and are not facing penalties for failing to get coverage. (With certain exceptions, going without coverage in 2014 will cost you $95 per adult and $47.50 per child, or 1 percent of your household income — whichever is MORE. And the penalties go up in 2015.)

Shopping for health insurance is not as easy as buying an airplane ticket from Expedia or a toaster from Amazon. But help is available and in the past individual insurance applications required lengthy questionnaires about your health and there was the risk that an insurance company would deny you coverage for pre-existing conditions. None of that is allowed under the Affordable Care Act.

Source: blogs.seattletimes.com

A Complete Guide on Diabetes: Types, Symptoms and Prevention

What is the main cause of diabetes?

The classic symptoms of untreated diabetes are weight loss, polyuria (increased urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased hunger). Symptoms may develop rapidly (weeks or months) in type 1 DM, while they usually develop much more slowly and may be subtle or absent in type 2 DM. Several other signs and symptoms can mark the onset of diabetes although they are not specific to the disease.

Diabetic emergencies

Diabetics may experience life-threatening emergencies from too much or too little insulin in their bodies. Too much insulin can cause a low sugar level (hypoglycemia), which can lead to insulin shock. Not enough insulin can cause a high level of sugar (hyperglycemia), which can cause a diabetic coma.

People (usually with type 1 DM) may also experience episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis, a metabolic disturbance characterized by nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, the smell of acetone on the breath, deep breathing known as Kussmaul breathing, and in severe cases a decreased level of consciousness.

Diabetes Complications

All forms of diabetes increase the risk of long-term complications. These typically develop after many years (10–20), but may be the first symptom in those who have otherwise not received a diagnosis before that time.

The major long-term complications relate to damage to blood vessels. Diabetes doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease and about 75% of deaths in diabetics are due to coronary artery disease. Other "macrovascular" diseases are stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

1. Cardiovascular disease

2. Nerve damage (neuropathy)

3. Kidney damage (nephropathy)

4. Eye damage (retinopathy)

5. Foot damage

6. Skin conditions

7. Hearing impairment

8. Alzheimer's disease

Diabetes Causes Type 1

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, leading to insulin deficiency. This type can be further classified as immune-mediated or idiopathic. The majority of type 1 diabetes is of the immune-mediated nature, in which a T-cell-mediated autoimmune attack leads to the loss of beta cells and thus insulin. It causes approximately 10% of diabetes mellitus cases in North America and Europe. 

People with diabetes have high blood glucose, also called high blood sugar or hyperglycemia. Diabetes develops when the body doesn't make enough insulin or is not able to use insulin effectively, or both. Insulin is a hormone made by beta cells in the pancreas.

Diabetes Causes Type 2

Type 2 DM is characterized by insulin resistance, which may be combined with relatively reduced insulin secretion. The defective responsiveness of body tissues to insulin is believed to involve the insulin receptor. However, the specific defects are not known. Diabetes mellitus cases due to a known defect are classified separately. Type 2 DM is the most common type of diabetes mellitus.

In the early stage of type 2, the predominant abnormality is reduced insulin sensitivity. At this stage, high blood sugar can be reversed by a variety of measures and medications that improve insulin sensitivity or reduce the liver's glucose production.

Dietary factors also influence the risk of developing type 2 DM. Consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks in excess is associated with an increased risk. The type of fats in the diet is also important, with saturated fats and trans fatty acids increasing the risk and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat decreasing the risk. Eating lots of white rice also may increase the risk of diabetes. A lack of exercise is believed to cause 7% of cases.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) resembles type 2 DM in several respects, involving a combination of relatively inadequate insulin secretion and responsiveness. It occurs in about 2–10% of all pregnancies and may improve or disappear after delivery.[38] However, after pregnancy approximately 5–10% of women with gestational diabetes are found to have diabetes mellitus, most commonly type 2. Gestational diabetes is fully treatable, but requires careful medical supervision throughout the pregnancy. Management may include dietary changes, blood glucose monitoring, and in some cases, insulin may be required.

Diabetes Pathophysiology

Insulin is the principal hormone that regulates the uptake of glucose from the blood into most cells of the body, especially liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. Therefore, deficiency of insulin or the insensitivity of its receptors plays a central role in all forms of diabetes mellitus.

The body obtains glucose from three main places: the intestinal absorption of food, the breakdown of glycogen, the storage form of glucose found in the liver, and gluconeogenesis, the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate substrates in the body. Insulin plays a critical role in balancing glucose levels in the body. Insulin can inhibit the breakdown of glycogen or the process of gluconeogenesis, it can stimulate the transport of glucose into fat and muscle cells, and it can stimulate the storage of glucose in the form of glycogen.

Insulin is released into the blood by beta cells (?-cells), found in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, in response to rising levels of blood glucose, typically after eating. Insulin is used by about two-thirds of the body's cells to absorb glucose from the blood for use as fuel, for conversion to other needed molecules, or for storage. Lower glucose levels result in decreased insulin release from the beta cells and in the breakdown of glycogen to glucose. This process is mainly controlled by the hormone glucagon, which acts in the opposite manner to insulin.

Diagnosis

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by recurrent or persistent high blood sugar, and is diagnosed by demonstrating any one of the following:

1. Fasting plasma glucose level = 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl)

2. Plasma glucose = 11.1 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) two hours after a 75 g oral glucose load as in a glucose      tolerance test

3. Symptoms of high blood sugar and casual plasma glucose = 11.1 mmol/l (200 mg/dl)

4. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) = 48 mmol/mol (? 6.5 DCCT %)

A positive result, in the absence of unequivocal high blood sugar, should be confirmed by a repeat of any of the above methods on a different day. It is preferable to measure a fasting glucose level because of the ease of measurement and the considerable time commitment of formal glucose tolerance testing, which takes two hours to complete and offers no prognostic advantage over the fasting test. According to the current definition, two fasting glucose measurements above 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) is considered diagnostic for diabetes mellitus.

Prevention 

There is no known preventive measure for type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented by maintaining a normal body weight, engaging in physical exercise, and consuming a healthful diet. Dietary changes known to be effective in helping to prevent diabetes include maintaining a diet rich in whole grains and fiber, and choosing good fats, such as the polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, vegetable oils, and fish. Limiting sugary beverages and eating less red meat and other sources of saturated fat can also help prevent diabetes. Active smoking is also associated with an increased risk of diabetes, so smoking cessation can be an important preventive measure as well.

Management

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease, for which there is no known cure except in very specific situations. Management concentrates on keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal, without causing low blood sugar. This can usually be accomplished with a healthy diet, exercise, weight loss, and use of appropriate medications (insulin in the case of type 1 diabetes; oral medications, as well as possibly insulin, in type 2 diabetes).

Diabetes Lifestyle

Physical activity is another important part of your diabetes management plan. When you exercise, your muscles use sugar (glucose) for energy. Regular physical activity also helps your body use insulin more efficiently. These factors work together to lower your blood sugar level.

Medications

Medications used to treat diabetes do so by lowering blood sugar levels. There are a number of different classes of anti-diabetic medications. Some are available by mouth, such as metformin, while others are only available by injection such as GLP-1 agonists. Type 1 diabetes can only be treated with insulin, typically with a combination of regular and NPH insulin, or synthetic insulin analogs.[citation needed]

Metformin is generally recommended as a first line treatment for type 2 diabetes, as there is good evidence that it decreases mortality. It works by decreasing the liver's production of glucose. Several other groups of drugs, mostly given by mouth, may also decrease blood sugar in type II DM. These include agents that increase insulin release, agents that decrease absorption of sugar from the intestines, and agents that make the body more sensitive to insulin. When insulin is used in type 2 diabetes, a long-acting formulation is usually added initially, while continuing oral medications. Doses of insulin are then increased to effect.

Surgery

A pancreas transplant is occasionally considered for people with type 1 diabetes who have severe complications of their disease, including end stage kidney disease requiring kidney transplantation.

Weight loss surgery in those with obesity and type two diabetes is often an effective measure. Many are able to maintain normal blood sugar levels with little or no medications following surgery and long-term mortality is decreased.  There however is some short-term mortality risk of less than 1% from the surgery. The body mass index cutoffs for when surgery is appropriate are not yet clear. It is recommended that this option be considered in those who are unable to get both their weight and blood sugar under control. 

Source: wikipedia

Discover the Ways in which Alcohol Takes You to the Death Bed

Can a person die from alcoholism?

Reveal disadvantages of alcohol bellow:

Fun without alcohol can't be imagined by some people. They need to get the kick of the drink for creating the fun environment. In small amount, it's fine. But when your level of alcohol increases, it take you to the death bed slowly.

There are several effects due to alcohol on your body that are hazardous. Here's a visual representation of the effects of alcohol on your body.